Author Topic: The story of powerful Vajravarahi (Dorje Pakmo)  (Read 59337 times)

DS Star

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The story of powerful Vajravarahi (Dorje Pakmo)
« on: June 03, 2012, 04:50:18 PM »
I found the story of Vajravarahi (Tibetan: Dorje Pakmo) very interesting and wish to share it here. She is another form of powerful female Buddha Vajrayogin? (Tibetan: Dorje Naljorma).

"In her form as Vajravarahi, when she is known as 'the Vajra Sow' she is often pictured with a sow's head on the side of her own as an ornament and in one form has the head of a sow herself. Vajrayogin? is often associated with triumph over ignorance, the pig being associated with ignorance in Buddhism. This sow head relates to the origins of Vajravarahi from the Hindu sow-faced goddess Varahi."

by Elizabeth English, "The Emergence of Vajrayogini". Vajrayogin?: her visualizations, rituals, & forms. Wisdom Publications. pp. 47–9.

"Dorje Phagmo, or the "Diamond Sow," is an incarnation of Dolma (Tara), the divine consort of Shenrezig (Chenrezig).

In days of old, before the time when the Buddha Gautama appeared, there was a hideous monster called Matrankaru, who spread ruin and terror over all the world. He was the chief of all the legions of demons, goblins, and other evil spirits; even the devils (raksha) of Ceylon had to become his subjects. He subdued to his rule not only this world, but the eight planets, the twenty-four constellations, the eight Nagas, and the gods. By his miraculous power he could lift Mount Ribab (Sumeru) on the end of his thumb.

Finally the Buddha and gods held council to compass about Matrankaru's destruction, and it was decided that Shenrezig should take the form of Tamdrin ("Horse-neck"), and his consort, Dolma, that of Dorje Phagmo ("the Diamond Sow"). When the two had assumed these forms they went to the summit of the Malaya mountains, and Tamdrin neighed three times, to fill the demon with terror, and Dorje Phagmo grunted five times, to strike terror into the heart of Matrankaru's wife, and soon both were lying prostrated at the feet of the two divinities.But their lives were spared them, and Matrankaru became a devout follower of the Buddha, a defender of the faith (chos gyong), and was given the name of Mahakala.

In 1716, when the Jungar invaders of Tibet came to Nangartse, their chief sent word to Samding to the Dorjo Phagmo to appear before him, that he might see if she really had, as reported, a pig's head. A mild answer was returned to him; but, incensed at her refusing to obey his summons, he tore down the walls of the monastery of Samding, and broke into the sanctuary. He found it deserted, not a human being in it, only eighty pigs and as many sows grunting in the congregation hall under the lead of a big sow, and he dared not sack a place belonging to pigs. When the Jungars had given up all idea of sacking Samding, suddenly the pigs disappeared to become venerable-looking lamas and nuns, with the saintly Dorje Phagmo at their head. Filled with astonishment and veneration for the sacred character of the lady abbess, the chief made immense presents to her lamasery
."

from "Lhasa and Central Tibet" by Sarat Chandra Das (1902), pp. 138-139.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 07:16:34 PM by Big Uncle »

ratanasutra

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Re: The story of powerful Vajrav?r?h? (Dorje Pakmo)
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2012, 11:55:32 AM »
Thanks DS star for your sharing. Here is her iconography which i find it very interesting and want to share.

The crown of five skulls symbolises Vajravarahi's power to transform the five negative afflictions Vajravarahi_Buddhist Art Tibetanor troubles [Skt. kleshas] into the Five Wisdoms [Skt. Pancha Jana].
The Sanskrit word kleshaliterally means 'defilement' or 'poison.' Normally obscured by greed, hatred, delusion, jealously & pride often called the five poisons.

The five wisdom levels are
1. Tathata Jana - the 'non-conceptualizing awareness' of Sunyata.
2. Adarsa Jana - the 'Mirror-like Awareness', 'devoid of all dualistic thought & in union with its 'images' as a mirror [Skt. Adarsa] is with its reflections'.
3. Samata Jana - Awareness of Sameness, which perceives the sameness, the commonality of dharmas or phenomena,
4. Pratyaveksana Jana - 'Investigative Awareness'.
5. Krtyanusthana Jana - Accomplishing Activities, the awareness that spontaneously carries out all that has to be done for the welfare of beings.
Each of these Wisdom Energies has a unique association with one of the Five Buddha Groups.

Her threatening Tarjani hand gesture [Skt. Mudra] also known as Karana mudra is made with a raised index & little finger & by folding the other fingers usually around an object represents her energy aimed at clarifying ignorance. In this case she clasps a flaying knife [Skt. Kartika] symbolising her breaking the power of materialism. The word Kartika comes from the name of Shiva's Son.
Her right hand pours self regenerating uterine blood into her mouth from a skullcap [Skt. Kapala] representing her independence from the material world ...including men.

Vajravarahi is painted with a magical tantric staff [Skt. khatvanga] leaning against her shoulder & which has impaled three heads. The first blue head is a fresh severed, the second red head is in decay and the third a white skull.

Vajravarahi stands in satyalida [ardapayanka] position with once leg held aloft & the other trampling on the deity Kalatri representing the ego.

She wears a necklace of fifty human heads [Skt. Kapalamala] as a symbol that she vanquishes the fifty negative emotions or 'forms' she has overcome. She is shown in a celestial dance [Skt. Apsara] position upon an orange sun disc associated with the feminine wisdom aspect & on a Lotus Throne representing Great Bliss, and her overall figure is surrounded by a circle of flames of immaculate consciousness.

The trees in the left foreground are the Ashoka Tree. The word Ashoka means without sorrow & is the tree linked to the Vedic God of love & sexual union Kamadeva. Apparently the tree blossoms when a virtuous lady touches it. She has boar head which shows an ancient link with the Hindu deity Vishnu. Varaha has a boar head & is one of Vishnu's eight incarnated forms [Skt. Avatars] In Hinduism his consort is Bhu Devi.

She wears three flayed animal skins which relate to the original three poisons traditionally painted in the centre of the Wheel of Life [Skt. Bhavachakra] sometimes known as the Jivan Chakra. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning 'wheel'. The flayed human skin represents her power over greed, the tiger skin represents her power over hatred and the elephant skin represents her immolation of Ignorance.

http://www.handmadeexpo.com/client/index.php?action=showiconographySingle&icon_id=34

Positive Change

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Re: The story of powerful Vajrav?r?h? (Dorje Pakmo)
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2012, 01:08:34 PM »
Here are some truly amazing beings and their history in brief. Take your time to read and absorb each and everyone of their stories. How blessed we are to be in the presence of some of these Women Buddhas:

A Short List of Female Saints, Teachers and Practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism

Venerable Bhikshuni Mahaprajapati Gautama

Venerable Bhikshuni Mahaprajapati Gautama was the Buddha's aunt. When her sister died of complications shortly after giving birth to the Buddha, Mahaprajapati became his step-mother and raised him herself.

Later, after the Buddha established his monastic Order, Mahaprajapati asked if she could join and become a nun. At first the Buddha did not think that women would be able to live the ascetic life that the monks were following, and in general there were doubts about the feasibility of women joining what was then an order of monks. But Mahaprajapati, at the head of a large group of women, persisted, and when she asked a second time, if she and her group of women might establish a parallel order of ordained female practitioners, he agreed. Thus the female Order came into being—separate from the male Order and not under male direction. This became an Order of women, exclusively under the control of the women themselves.

The Buddha's aunt therefore not only became the first Buddhist nun to be ordained in the Buddhist Community, but also the first head of the women's Order. In that sense she is the founding mother of the Buddhist nun's order, just as the Buddha was the founding father of the monk's order.

A certain number of women connected to Mahaprajapati became leading teachers of the Order of Nun's. These formed the first "twelve women apostles", i.e., the first set of Bhikshuni saints. This set of twelve "Foremost Bhikshunis" of the Order under Mahaprajapati were:

1. Khema, foremost scholar of Great Wisdom.
2. Bhadra (Yasodhara), foremost in miraculous accomplishment (mahasiddhi).
3. Gautami, foremost in holiness.
4. Sakula, foremost in clairvoyance.
5. Dharmadina, foremost missionary and teacher.
6. Uppalavanna, foremost in realization.
7. Bhadra Kundali, foremost in psychic faculties.
8. Nanda, foremost of the Forest Meditators.
9. Bhadra Kapila, foremost in remembering past-lives.
10. Patacara, foremost holder of the Vinaya.
11. Sigalakamatra, foremost in "attainment through faith'.
12. Sonya, foremost in diligence.

Mahaprajapati achieved complete realization and was known as an Arhat—an enlightened Saint and the first "female Buddha". Many of her women followers also attained full Enlightenment and their poetry has been preserved in a large collection of writings known as the Theri-gata, or "Songs of the Women Elders".

Bodhisattva Tara (Dolma)

We are told that long ago there was a Princess named Tara who was very devout. One day, a monk who did not believe that women could attain Enlightenment, told her that she should pray to be born in a male body in her next life in order to become Enlightened, and thus able to benefit others. Instead, she vowed to attain Enlightenment as a woman in that very life and thenceforth prayed to always be reborn as a woman.

Thus Tara has become a symbol of the fact that any woman can become Enlightened. She represents "Enlightened Womanhood", and stands as a female "Prophet" or "Saviour" among men like Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, and so many others. Tara is represented in various forms but most commonly she is white or green in color. Although acknowledged to have been an actual living female saint, she has also evolved into something of a "Goddess of Mercy", and her worship is very popular throughout the east, in Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan.

The Twenty-one forms of Tara is a set of icons, each representing Tara, in reference to an aspect of female Buddhahood and protecting against a specific type of suffering. These remind us of the fact that there have been and have been and continue to be innumerable women Buddhas throughout history and all over the world..

Princess Mandarava

Princess Mandarava was born in the eighth century, as the daughter of the King of Zahor, a small kingdom of northern India, centered around the capital town of Mandi. She refused to be married and insisted on becoming a nun instead. When her father refused to agree, she left and became a beggar and was eventually ordained by the Abbot Shantarakshita. The King of Zahor then agreed to accept his daughter's way of life and built a monastery for her and her women followers to meditate in.

Today there is a famous lake known as Rewalsar above the town of Mandi in the Himalayas. The Tibetans call this very beautiful lake Pema Tso. Circling the lake are many Buddhist monasteries, Hindu and Sikh temples, and other religious establishments. Looking down over Rewalsar, from higher up the mountainside is Mandarava's cave, where a group of women yoginis live in isolated retreat. These saintly women practice meditation day and night with great diligence. Thus the spiritual tradition of Mandarava lives on today.

Princess Sakyadevi

Princess Sakyadevi was the daughter of King Sukkhadhara of Nepal. Her mother died in childbirth and she was displaced by the next queen and abandoned by the court. When she grew up she became a Yogini and resided near present day Parphing, in the mountains just outside the Kathmandu Valley. There she is said to have become a consort of Guru Padmasambhava and received teachings from him. The two lived together at the yogi's cave of Langlesho, above Parphing, where they mastered Vajrakilaya-practice. It is said that she eventually attained "Rainbow Body" as a realized female Buddha.

Princess Yeshe Tsogyal

The Tibetan Princess Yeshe Tsogyal was the principle disciple of Guru Padmasambhava in Tibet. Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet in the 8th Century CE, at the invitation of the King Trisong Detsen. There, he taught the Buddha's teachings and built the first monastery in Tibet. Yeshe Tsogyal accomplished complete enlightenment and was responsible for preserving the rarest teachings of the dharma.

Kalasiddhi

Kalasiddhi of Nepal was the daughter of weavers from the town of Balbong Jur. Her mother died in a famine and she was abandoned with her mother's body at the cremation ground. A woman Yogini (some accounts identify her as Mandarava) found the baby, saved her from starvation and brought the girl up, ateaching her all her secret practices. Later Bhikshu Sakyadeva gave her ordination.

After Kalasiddhi attained enlightenment, she passed her lineage to a farmer's son who became the great Master Vajrahunkara.

In the terma tradition of Terton Tagsham, Kalasiddhi meets and becomes a disciple of Guru Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal, but this may be a case of mixing stories together, since Vajrahunkara was himself prior to Padmasambhava, and Kalasiddhi met and instructed Vajrahunkara in his youth. At any rate, it is said that at the end of her life Kalasiddhi attained the complete Enlightenment of an Insight-holder (Vidyadhara).

Lha-cham Pema-Sel

Lha-cham Pema-Sel was the daughter of King Tri-song Detsan of Tibet and Queen Dromza Changchub. When she was eight years old, Lha-cham Pema-Sel fell ill and died. Padmasambhava, who was staying in the royal palace at the time, was called for. He immediately came to the room where her body lay and wrote the letter "Nri" in red over her heart, while reciting mantras. Entering into trance, he then recalled her consciousness and brought life back into her body. This miracle of resurrection stunned the court and caused the King to have absolute faith in the Guru's saintly powers.

When Lha-cham had revived and was able to speak, Guru Padmasambhava conferred on her the empowerments of the Khadro Nying-t'ig, a rare line of esoteric instruction. Later, in a future life as the male yogi Pema Le-drel Tsal (1291-1315), the teachings that Padmasambhava had given her re-awoke in her consciousness. Several incarnations later the same stream of consciousness took birth and attained realization in the form of the great Nyingma saint Longchenpa (1308-1363).

Yogini Disciples

Amongst the many Yogini Disciples of Padmasambhava there are listed Rinchen-tsho of the Ma-go family who beheld many spiritual visions, Changchub of the Chogro family who was greatly enlightened, Lha-kar-ma of the Dzin family who would levitate into the air off her meditation cushion, Lhamo Yerab of Ba who healed the sick through her meditations, Dorje Tsho who walked on water, Sherab Phagma who possessed a photographic memory, and Bromti Chenmo of the Dro family who could levitate at will. The numerous women disciples of Guru Padmasambhava in Tibet also included the twenty-five realized Dakinis of Chim-phu and the Seven Great Yoginis.

Jetsunma Niguma

Jetsunma Niguma was born in Kashmir. The term "sister" sometimes means a family sister and sometimes was used as a polite term for "wife" in ancient times. Niguma is described as the "sister" of the Mahasiddha Naropa. In some accounts this means she was his sister literally, but in certain other accounts it appears she may have been his consort. At any rate, she was a very great Yogini. Dedicating her life towards practicing and perfecting the Buddha's teachings, she manifested as a tenth-level bodhisattva and directly saw the face of the primordial Buddha Vajradhara. Her foremost disciple was Khyungpo Naljor, who brought Niguma's teachings to Tibet and established the Shangpa Kagyu lineage, one of the eight transmission lineages of Tibet.

Dakini Sukhasiddhi

Dakini Sukhasiddhi was a laywoman with a husband and six children. However, her family chased her out of the house when she gave their last store of rice to a starving beggar. After wandering for some time, she met a Yogi in the lineage of the Mahasiddha Virupa, who bestowed empowerment and the Buddha's teachings on her. She was a master of Hevajra Tantra. Sukhasiddhi accomplished complete enlightenment and became one of the teachers of Tilopa.

Bhikshuni Srimati

Bhikshuni Srimati (Tib: Gelongma Palmo) was an ordained Buddhist nun in India who founded the Avalokitesvara "Nyun-gne" tradition. This tradition involves fasting and all-night vigils, with prayers to the One-Thousand Form of the Great Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara (Tib: Chenrezi, Chinese: Kwan-Yin). Bhikshuni Srimati was born into a royal family, but she refused to be forced into marriage, wanting instead to become ordained and practice the Dharma. She left her family and became a Bhikshuni. After contracting leprosy, an illness which is widely feared in India, she was cast out of her religious community and had to live in the forest. The great Mahasiddha Indrabodhi came across her and instructed her in devotion to Avalokitesvara. Through meditation and prayer, her leprosy disappeared and she was entirely cured. Sometime after that she attained enlightenment and eventually acquired many disciples.

Machig Lhab-Dron

The Tibetan Kagyu yogini Machig Lhab-Dron (1055-1152) founded the female lineage of Chöd Practice in Tibet and was an exponent of the Prajna-paramita-sutra. She was the disciple of the Indian guru Pha Dampa Sanggye. She is the only Tibetan, male or female, to found a lineage of spiritual practice that came to be transmitted from Tibet to India, rather than from India to Tibet. Chöd is a powerful practice which involves "cutting through the ego." This practice remains popular throughout Tibet, Mongolia and the Indian Himalayas up to the present day.

Women Disciples of Milarepa

Some of the famous female disciples of the 11th century Kagyu yogi Milarepa were:

Rechungma doubted Milarepa's realization upon their first meeting, but she later gained complete faith in him. Milarepa imparted to Rechungma all the pith-instructions without reserve. She practiced in complete silence for eight years and attained enlightenment through the practice of gTum-mo. At the time of her passing, she had become a leading exponent of Milarepa's teachings.

Padarbum similarly achieved complete enlightenment in a single lifetime. After first scorning and belittling Milarepa upon their encounter, she was converted to the Dharma by his beautiful songs. Padarbum succeeded be able to enter into higher dimensions while in her human body. Playing a drum for all to hear, at the time of her death she is said to have bodily vanished, ascending into the pure realm of the Dakinis.

Sahle Aui meditated in solitude for many years, achieving enlightenment. She later taught the Dharma to many disciples throughout Tibet.

Tseringma, tamed by Jetsun Milarepa, became a tenth-level Bodhisattva. She is now frequently prayed to as a holy protector of the Dharma.

These are just a few of Milarepa's female disciples.

Jomo Menmo

Jomo Menmo (1248-1283) was born as a karmic emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal. She was the wife of Guru Chowang, one of the five Master Tertons of Tibet. Jomo Menmo herself discovered Treasure-texts (terma) when she was a teenager and hid many of these treasure teachings throughout Tibet. She passed away by dissolving into the sky, along with two female disciples.

Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron

Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron (1699-1769) was the daughter of the Terton Terdak Lingpa. Terdak Lingpa founded Mindrolling Monastery, which is the main seat of the Nyingmapa school. By the time she was fourteen, Jetsunma had fully mastered the practice of gTum-mo (kundalini) and she received from many different Lamas the complete transmission for a great number of teachings. She became an accomplished Lama in both the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, from masters such as Lochen Dharmashri, Kathok Rigdzin Shabdrung and other masters she was given the title of Lineage-holder.

When the Mongols invaded Tibet in the 18th Century, Mindrolling monastery was sacked. Jetsunma and her younger brother Rinchen Namgyal fled to Sikkim. When they returned to Tibet, Jetsunma rebuilt the monastery of Mindrolling from the ground up. She transmitted the entire cycle of empowerments to the monks and Lamas newly installed there. She also founded Samten Tse Nunnery, where she spent most of her later life, writing commentaries and giving teachings.

Jetsunma Thinley Chodron

Jetsunma Thinley Chodron was one of the root lamas to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. She was the daughter of 5th Mindrolling Trichen Thinley Namgyal. She was an ordained nun, and studied under many great masters. She eventually became greatly accomplished in Dzogchen. She also taught widely throughout Tibet and had many disciples.

Jetsunma Shukseb

The Tibetan girl Ani Lochen, renowned as Jetsunma Shukseb, (1865-1951) was a woman master of Chöd. She was born in Rewalsar, India, and her connection was mainly to the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma lineages. From childhood, Jetsunma Shukseb was a diligent practitioner. Her mother was also a devoted practitioner, who accompanied her daughter on many pilgrimages and encouraged her practice. When she visited Ladakh as a little girl, the King and everyone wept in tears after seeing Jetsunma Shukseb reciting mantras, her visible devotion was so great!

Jetsunma Shukseb took Lama Pema Gyatso as her root guru. Under his guidance she became a practitioner of Terma and Chöd. In the 1890s she finally received ordination as a nun, but still kept her hair long. Jetsunma Shukseb went on many pilgrimages with her Lama and also visited many of Tibet's greatest monasteries.

She founded the Shukseb Nunnery, which is east of Lhasa. There she encouraged the women to become ordained. Many masters such as Reting Rinpoche, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trulshik Rinpoche and the Shechen Rabjam came to visit her.

Jetsunma Shukseb was known as a living mahasiddha, a miracle working saint, who was accomplished in Dzogchen and Mahamudra. Her nunnery was destroyed during the Communist Cultural Revolution but is slowly being rebuilt.

Sera Khandro

Sera Khandro (1899-1952) was a great female Terton whose treasure texts are revered by many great Nyingma masters. She was the wife of Drimey Ozer, one of the sons of the illustrious Dudjom Lingpa. She was also one of the root gurus to the great Chatral Rinpoche who lives at Parphing in Nepal.

Khandro Urgyen Tsomo

Khandro Urgyen Tsomo was the consort to the 15th Gyalwa Karmapa and an incarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal. Through her practices and recitations of mantra, the Gyalwa Karmapa was healed of illness and his life was prolonged. After the Karmapa's passing away, she remained at Tsurphu Monastery in retreat and instructed others in the dharma. She became renowned as the Great Dakini of Tsurphu. The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa gave Khandro Urgyen Tsomo's hand drum as a sacred momento into the care of the women Lama, Karma Chanchub Tashi Drolma.

Jetsunma Tsewang Lhamo

Jetsunma Tsewang Lhamo passed away in 1995, remaining in the state of samadhi for three days. She was the daughter of Tritsab Pema Wangchen and the grand aunt of the present Mindrolling Trichen. Jetsun Tsewang Lhamo's root guru was Jampal Dewai Nyima from whom she took her ordination vows and received instruction. Jetsunma also received profound teachings from Khenchen Khyentse Norbu and Chung Rinpoche. After the Cultural Revolution, Jetsunma lived with Chung Rinpoche until he passed away in 1979. In 1982, Jetsunma left Tibet for Mindrolling monastery in India, with her younger sister Jetsun Dechen Wangmo and her grandnephew, Khenchen Khenrab Gyatso, the present Mindrolling Khenchen.

Ven. Khandroma Palden Chotso

Ven. Khandroma Palden Chotso: "Dakini Hermitage," as it is commonly called, or the "Retreat Center of Great Radiance and Expanse at Kilung, in Dzachukha' (Rdza ki lung mkha' 'gro'i 'od gsal klung dbyings sgrub sde), is a special nunnery of women Yoginis located on a mountain in eastern Tibet. The Hermitage is run by Ven. Khandroma Palden Chotso, daughter of Lama Longtok Rinpoche (1922-2001), who was a great Dzogchen practitioner and a Terton (discoverer of hidden revelations) in the Longchen Nying-t'ik lineage of the Nyingma tradition. Lama Longtok Rinpoche had a large number of students from five monasteries (the Gegong, Kilung, Gemong, Sakya and Gyangma monasteries, all in Dzachukha) who regarded him as their root Lama.

At the age of five Khandroma Palden Chotso was ordained as a novice and studied the Dharma under her father, who was both her parent and root Lama. As she matured, she showed great proficiency in tantric yoga practice. After attaining full realization into the nature of mind, she was given the title of "Dakini" or "Khandroma" in Tibetan. The title is given to a woman who, possessing the qualities of enlightenment, has the duty of protecting the tantric teachings. Khandroma Palden Chotso is now resident at the Dakini Hermitage in Tibet with four nuns who are her disciples.

In 2004, Khandroma Palden Chotso had a small road built, leading to the Hermitage to make access up the mountain easier. She also began to construct an assembly hall so that monks and nuns who used to be the students of Lama Longtok's could pray and perform rituals together. Another objective of the assembly hall is to house Buddha images and relics, important Buddhist texts and other treasures belonging to her late father. These sacred objects carry the blessings of many important lamas in Tibet and India, and thus are valuable for accumulating spiritual grace.

Apart from building the assembly hall, Khandroma Palden Chotso also begun to renovate the six existing cubicles and to build more so that the number totals thirty. These cubicles will be important living places for nuns who used to be Lama Longtok's students and who have scattered to many places after their lama passed away. The cubicles will also be used for housing nomad women who would not have the opportunity to practice the Dharma otherwise.

After Lama Longtok's death, the nuns who used to practice the Dharma there became "lama-less". They scattered and went to practice with other lamas. At that time Khandroma Palden Chotso was very young and therefore not able to prevent the dispersal. However, she promised her late father that she would take very good care of the Hermitage and that she would become a teacher of women yoginis. This promise was made not only as a daughter to her father, but also as a student to her root Lama, so she regarded this promise to be the most important thing in her life. She now has become a source of tremendous inspiration for women in Tibet and for her nuns in particular.

Khandro Rinpoche

Khandroma Tsering Paldron Rinpoche is the daughter of His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen, the head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. She was born in Kalimpong, India, in 1967. At the age of two she was recognized by His Holiness the 16th Karmapa as the reincarnation of the Great Dakini of Tsurphu, Khandro Urgyen Tsomo. Thus, the present Khandro Rinpoche came to hold the lineages of both the unexcelled Kagyu school and the ancient Nyingmapa.

Khandro Rinpoche, as she is commonly called, studied under many learned teachers and received numerous transmissions within both the old and new traditions. Besides studying from various learned Khenpos, she also received teachings and transmissions from some of the most accomplished spiritual masters of recent times, such as her father Mindrolling Trichen, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Trulzhig Rinpoche, the Kagyu master Tenga Rinpoche, Tsetrul Rinpoche, and the greatly realized Tulku Ugyen Rinpoche.

Khandro Rinpoche, at 35 years of age, has established and is head of the Samten Tse Retreat Centre in India, which is for Tibetan nuns as well as western practitioners. Her efforts at Samten Tse are directed towards fulfilling her vision of providing a place of study and retreat for women, as well as establishing a spiritual community of both monastics and lay-practitioners with students from both East and West living together. Khandro Rinpoche also leads various charitable projects for health care and education in remote areas, and the Dharmashri Journal, besides being very actively involved with the Mindrolling monastery in India. More information and pictures of Khandro Rinpoche may be viewed on her website, www.vkr.org.

Khandro Rinpoche is one of the leading saintly women of the Buddhist world in present times.

Khandro Tinley Chodon

Khandro Tinley Chodon trained since childhood in the Drukpa Kagyu tradition of Buddhism. Her great grandfather, the Kagyu Master Shakyasri, was a fully realized master in Dzogchen-Mahamudra, and renowned for teaching the highest levels of Vajrayana practice.

Her father Apho Yeshe Rangdrol Rinpoche was responsible for strongly reviving the Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Lahoul, Ladakh, Manali, Zanskar and Pangey, where he established many retreat centers, enabling a great number of practitioners to develop their spiritual practices. He passed away at the age of 54 in 1974, leaving his wife and 4 young children behind. Of his three sons, all reincarnations, his eldest son Sey Gelek Namgyal Rinpoche continues the Shakyasri tradition at their seat in Manali.

Khandro-la's mother Sangyum Urgyen Chodon was an accomplished tantric yogini.

Khandro-la was trained under the late Gegen Khyentse Rinpoche, a master of the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra. She received from him all the empowerments, transmissions and teachings of her lineage. Khandro-la also studied with the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. She has also practiced in solitary retreat under the guidance of the late Sengdrak Rinpoche, known for his humbleness and ascetic practices in the mountains of Nepal. Khandro-la earned her B.A. in Psychology at Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1986, and has M.A. in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, 1998.

Under the direction of her Lama, Gegen Khyentse, Khandro Tinley Chodon took to guiding nuns and laywomen in their practice. She was instrumental in helping Tsultrim Allione with her book Women of Wisdom. She continues to support many Buddhist women in their spiritual training.

Khandro-la now has a project of her own called Khachodling, dedicated to the education and spiritual empowerment of young girls and women seeking spiritual enlightenment, beginning with twenty-one nuns in Zanskar, Ladakh. Zanskar is renowned for its spectacular landscape and the ancient pilgrimage site of the great Mahasiddha Naropa of the 12th century.

Ayya Khema

Ayya Khema was born in Berlin in 1923 to Jewish parents. In 1938, she was evacuated from Germany with several hundred other children, and taken to Glasgow, Scotland. Her parents managed to escape to China and, two years later Ayya Khema joined them in Shanghai. With the outbreak of the war, however, the family was rounded up by the Japanese and held in a prisoner-of-war camp. It was there that her father died.

Four years after the American liberation of the camp, Ayya Khema was able to emigrate to the United States. She married, had a son and a daughter, and between 1960 and 1964 led a peripatetic life, traveling with her husband and son throughout Mexico, the Amazon and Asia.

While in the Himalayas she came across Buddhism and learned meditation. Her experiences led her to become a Buddhist nun in Sri Lanka in 1979, where she was given the name "Khema", meaning safety and security.

In Colombo, she set up the International Buddhist Women's Centre as a training centre for Sri Lankan nuns, and the Parappuduwa Nun's Island at Dodanduwa. She was the spiritual director of Buddha-Haus in Germany, established in 1989 under her auspices. In June 1997, Metta Vihara, a Buddhist forest monastery in Germany, was inaugurated by her, and ordinations in the German language have taken place there.

In 1987, she co-ordinated the first international conference of Buddhist nuns in the history of Buddhism, which resulted in the setting-up of Sakyadhita, a world-wide Buddhist women's organization. H.H. the Dalai Lama has been a keynote speaker at Sakyadhita conferences. In May 1987, as an invited lecturer, she was the first ever Buddhist nun to address the United Nations in New York on the topic of Buddhism and World Peace.

Ayya Khema has written twenty-five books on meditation and the Buddha's teachings in English and German; her books have been translated into seven languages.

Ayya Khema died November 2, 1997 at Buddha Haus, Mittleberg Uttenbull in Germany. Her work continues through her many students, who have in turn become teachers in their own right. A few of the great women who continue her lineage include Ven. Sister Sangamitta from Switzerland (now practising in Thailand), Ven. Sister Dhammadina (a graduate of Peradeniya University), Ven. Sister Vayama from Australia and Ven. Sister Uttpalvanna from Galle, Sri Lanka.

Tenzin Palmo, the great Yogini

Venerable Tenzin Palmo was born in England. She grew up in London and when still only a teen she became a Buddhist. In 1964, at the age of twenty, she went to India, in pursuit of her spiritual path. As a young women in India she fully immersed herself in the culture and shared experiences with many spiritual seekers.

In the Himalayas she met her Guru, His Eminence the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, a famous yogi of the Drukpa Kagyu school. She then took ordination as a Buddhist nun. For six years she lived and studied in Khamtrul Rinpoche's community. Finally, once she was ready, her Lama directed her to the Himalayan valley of Lahaul, in order to undertake intensive practice. Tenzin Palmo at first resided in a small monastery in Lahaul, where she lived in retreat for many years. Later she moved into a nearby cave high in the mountains, where she was able to live alone in nature for another 12 years, the last 3 years in strict isolation. A book, titled Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie, has been written about some of her experiences. Having gained realization, she left India in 1988, and went to stay in Italy where she taught at various Dharma Centres.

Before H.E. Khamtrul Rinpoche passed away in 1980, he had on several occasions requested Tenzin Palmo to start a convent for women yoginis. In 1993, the Lamas of the Khampagar monastery in Himachal Pradesh India again made this request.  Tenzin Palmo began slowly collecting funds for this formidable task. In 1999, she established Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in the Himalayas, where she continues to live and teach. For more information about Tenzin Palmo and the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, please see tenzinpalmo.com.

Jetsun Kushok Chimey Luding Rinpoche

Born in 1938 as the sister of the current head of the Sakya lineage, one of the four main sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Jetsun Kushok received much of her training alongside her brother. Devoting herself to Buddhist practice from an early age, she completed her first retreat at age 10. Many more important retreats were to follow, enabling her to become one of fewer than a dozen masters who are qualified to transmit the Lam Dre or "The Path that Includes the Results." Lam Dre, like Dzogchen, Ziji Chöd and Mahamudra, is among Tibet's "Eight Chariots," or unique and complete systems of meditation practices that lead to Enlightenment. Jetsun Kushok gave her first transmission of the Lam Dre, along with all the necessary empowerments, at age 17.

In 1959, Jetsun Kushok left Tibet in exile and, by way of India, eventually settled in Vancouver, Canada, with her family in 1971. Struggling to care for her children and make a living in a new country, she had to partition her time between working as a knitwear designer and keeping up her meditation practices, often to the point of staying up all night. At the repeated request of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, Jetsun Kushok started to teach in Vancouver in the early 1980's and now all over the world. She had close ties to Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche and both were asked by Sakya Trizin to impart Vajrayogini transmissions in Canada. Beloved by all her disciples, Jetsun Kushok is both strict and warm, teaching genuine Buddhadharma in the traditional way. Jetsun Kushok is an inspiration for all Buddhists, both male and female, who are looking to integrate the Dharma with their daily lives.


Here are some pictures in the order of appearance:

1. Ven. Khandroma Palden Chotso
2. Khandro Rinpoche
3. Khandro Tinley Chodon
4. Ayya Khema
5. Tenzin Palmo
6. Jetsun Kushok Chimey Luding Rinpoche

dsiluvu

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Re: The story of powerful Vajrav?r?h? (Dorje Pakmo)
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2012, 02:40:05 PM »
Hi thanks for this thread of info on Vajravarahi DSfriend. She is none other ther then Vajrayogini. In our Gelugpa tradition she is Vajrayogini :)


Vajrayogini in the Gelug Tradition

It is said that Vajrayogini was Je Tsonkhapa's (1357 - 1419 C.E.) innermost yidam. There is no evidence for this since the Gelugpas had paid attention to Vajrayogini/Vajravarahi only as the consort of Chakrasamvara being one of their three principal yidams (gsang bde 'jigs gsum; the others are Guhyasamaja and Vajrabhairava). To this very day, Vajrayogini is not part of the canonical teaching curriculums at the tantric colleges. Only as late as in 18th century the Sakya transmission of Naropa's Vajrayogini seems to have been introduced to the Gelug tradition. From then on the Gelug and Sakya Vajrayogini lineages are separate from each other.

It was Phabongkha Rinpoche (1878 - 1941 C.E.) who recommended and promoted the Vajrayogini practice as the main meditational deity of the Gelug tradition. The main disciples of Phabongkha Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche promoted the Vajrayogini practice further - especially among Western audiences. So did the next generation of lamas like Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Geshe Tharchin, Gehlek Rinpoche, just to name a few. Today the Vajrayogini practice has become very popular with teachers and students. Like in the Sakya tradition aspirants have to take a full Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment before they can receive the Vajrayogini initiation. Also Vajrayogini teachings (= commentaries on the practice) and retreats are often offered.


Vajravarahi in the Kagyu Tradition

The various Kagyu lineages of Vajravarahi (often translated as "Vajrayogini") go back to Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa. A number of modern Kagyu teachers, like Chogyam Trungpa and H.E. Garchen Rinpoche have stressed the importance of this practice.

The iconographical form is that of Vajravarahi. With a semi- wrathful expression on her face, she is red in color, has three eyes and dark yellow hair flowing upward, at the crown a boar's head. The right hand holds up a curved knife and the left a white skull cup at the heart. In the bend of the left elbow stands an upright khatvanga staff. She is adorned with a tiara of gold and five white skulls, green ribbons and gold and jewel earrings, a garland of fifty fresh heads, a garland of flowers, a bone necklace, girdle, bracelets and anklets, she wears a long green scarf around the shoulders. With the right leg raised in a dancing posture, the left presses on a sun disc atop a prone figure. Above a moon disc and pink lotus seat, she is completely surrounded by the tight curling flames of orange pristine awareness fire.


Vajrayogini in the Sakya Tradition

From the Phamtingpa Brothers the Vajrayogini (Tibetan: Na-ro mkha'-spyod ) lineage quickly came to the great Sakya master Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092 - 1158 C.E.) who also received two other Vajradakini lineages derived (1) from Maitripa in the form of Maitri's Dakini (Tibetan: Mai-tri mkha'-spyod) and (2) from Indrabhuti in the form of Vajravarahi or Indra's Dakini (Tibetan: Indra mkha'-spyod). Although Naropa's Vajrayogini is the principal practice all three forms are still alive and part of the Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyas. Since all three dakinis are red in color they are also called the Three Red Ones (Tibetan: dmar-mo skor-gsum).

The Vajrayogini practice ranks most important and is very much alive in the Sakya tradition to this very day. Over the centuries there have been various expositions of this system, most prominently the Eleven Yogas of Vajrayogini by Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (1524 - 68 C.E.) who also wrote an extensive commentary on the practice. This commentary is the basis for the 7-day teachings given by the highest contemporary Sakya teachers like H.H. Sakya Trizin and H.E. Jetsun Kusho-la. During those teachings some participants are also introduced to additional, most secret practices not contained in the common sadhana. The Vajrayogini initiation is only given to aspirants who have been previously introduced to the Hevajra or Chakrasamvara mandala (= Highest Yoga Tantra initiations).

Vajraprotector

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Re: The story of powerful Vajrav?r?h? (Dorje Pakmo)
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2012, 05:21:43 PM »
Do you know that in Newar Buddhism, Kumari (the child-goddesses of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur in Nepal) is considered an emanation of Vajravarahi and Vasundhara?

Vajravarahi is invoked into her at the time of her investiture and these living goddesses play an extremely important role in Newar Buddhism and have a major role in defining and validating kingship in Nepal in the past.

Kumari dresses in auspicious bridal symbols, including a red dress, bridal jewelry, and a crown. This is because in the esoteric Buddhist understanding, every bride is potentially identified with Vajravarahi, since it is through her that the male practitioner attains realisation. It is said that a Newar Buddhist practitioner may not receive the empowerments of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi until he or she is married. Not too sure how true is that though.

What I find most interesting is that the Patan Kumari wears a silver necklace garland of severed heads, signifying her fierce aspect and identity with Vajrayogini/ Varahi, whom we know is often depicted wearing a garland of heads in her standard iconography.

You can read more in The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, by John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel.

More general info about the Kumari: http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/kumari.php

Big Uncle

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Re: The story of powerful Vajravarahi (Dorje Pakmo)
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2012, 07:50:07 PM »
I found some more info on the Vajravarahi Tulku on the net. Check it out:-

In Tibetan Buddhism, Dorje Pakmo (Wylie: bsam-sding rdo-rje-phag-mo sprul-sku, ZYPY: Samding Dojêpagmo Zhügu, literally The Diamond Sow; Sanskrit: Vajravarahi), also known as Sera Kandro, is believed to be the reincarnation of the consort of the wrathful deity Demchok (Heruka). She is the highest female incarnation in Tibet and the third-highest ranking person in the hierarchy after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. She was listed among the highest-ranking reincarnations at the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, recognized by the Tibetan government and acknowledged by the emperors of Qing China.

History and background

Her seat, Samding (literally, 'the temple of soaring meditation') was in many ways unique in that about half of the inhabitants were monks and the other half were nuns, while the head of the monastery with all its branches was (and still is) a woman. It is a Geluk Ani gompa (or nunnery) - which also housed some monks - and was built on a hill on a peninsula jutting into the sacred lake, Yamdrok Tso.

The female tulku who was the abbess of Samding monastery, on the shores of the Yamdrok Tso Lake, near Gyantse, Tibet was traditionally a nirmanakaya emanation of Vajravarahi (Tibetan: Dorje Phagmo). The lineage started in 15th century with the princess of Gungthang, Chokyi Dronma (Wylie: Chos-kyi sgron-me)(1422–1455). She became known as Samding Dorje Pagmo (Wylie:bSam-lding rDo-rje phag-mo) and began a line of female tulkus, reincarnate lamas. She was a contemporary of Gendun Drup (1391–1474) and her teacher Bodong Panchen Chogley Namgyal also was one of his teachers. Charles Alfred Bell met the tulku in 1920 and took photographs of her, calling her Dorje Pamo in his book. The current incarnation, the 12th of this line, resides in Lhasa. where she is known as Female Living Buddha Dorje Palma by the Chinese.

The present incarnation [i.e. in 1882] of the divine Dorje Phagmo is a lady of twenty-six, Nag-wang rinchen kunzag wangmo by name. She wears her hair long; her face is agreeable, her manner dignified, and somewhat resembling those of the Lhacham, though she is much less prepossessing than she. It is required of her that she never take her rest lying down; in the daytime she may recline on cushions or in a chair, but during the night she sits in the position prescribed for meditation.

I learnt that the Dorje Phagmo, or the "Diamond Sow," is an incarnation of Dolma (Tara), the divine consort of Shenrezig (Chenrezig). In days of old, before the time when the Buddha Gautama appeared, there was a hideous monster called Matrankaru, who spread ruin and terror over all the world. He was the chief of all the legions of demons, goblins, and other evil spirits; even the devils (raksha) of Ceylon had to become his subjects. He subdued to his rule not only this world, but the eight planets, the twenty-four constellations, the eight Nagas, and the gods. By his miraculous power he could lift Mount Ribab (Sumeru) on the end of his thumb.

Finally the Buddha and gods held council to compass about Matrankaru's destruction, and it was decided that Shenrezig should take the form of Tamdrin ("Horse-neck"), and his consort, Dolma, that of Dorje Phagmo ("the Diamond Sow"). When the two had assumed these forms they went to the summit of the Malaya mountains, and Tamdrin neighed three times, to fill the demon with terror, and Dorje Phagmo grunted five times, to strike terror into the heart of Matrankaru's wife, and soon both were lying prostrated at the feet of the two divinities.But their lives were spared them, and Matrankaru became a devout follower of the Buddha, a defender of the faith (chos gyong), and was given the name of Mahakala.
In 1716, when the Jungar invaders of Tibet came to Nangartse, their chief sent word to Samding to the Dorjo Phagmo to appear before him, that he might see if she really had, as reported, a pig's head. A mild answer was returned to him; but, incensed at her refusing to obey his summons, he tore down the walls of the monastery of Samding, and broke into the sanctuary. He found it deserted, not a human being in it, only eighty pigs and as many sows grunting in the congregation hall under the lead of a big sow, and he dared not sack a place belonging to pigs.

When the Jungars had given up all idea of sacking Samding, suddenly the pigs disappeared to become venerable-looking lamas and nuns, with the saintly Dorje Phagmo at their head. Filled with astonishment and veneration for the sacred character of the lady abbess, the chief made immense presents to her lamasery."

"Her monastery belongs to one of the red hat or unreformed orders, which are frowned on by the prevailing yellow-hat hierarchy, but an exception has been made in her case, and she is treated with royal honors by the Lhasa government, sharing with the Trashi- and Dalai-lamas the privilege of riding in a sedan-chair when she travels. She is also exempt from the rule that all nuns must shave off their hair and is permitted to wear her hair long, but on the other hand she is never permitted to assume a recumbent position. In the daytime she can sleep sitting up in a chair, but the whole night she must spend in meditation in the rigorous position demanded in this practice."
Samding gompa was destroyed after 1959 but is in the process of being restored.

Lineage

The first Dorje Phagmo, Chokyi Dronma, was a princess of the then independent kingdom of Gungthang in southwestern Tibet in the 15th century. She married into the royal family of the principality of Southern Lato that is she married/was married to the prince of southern Lato (La stod lho) defined as a keen supporter of Bonpo practices - but, after the death of her only child, a daughter, she renounced her family and royal status to become a Buddhist nun circa 1442.

She rapidly became famous as a dynamic and inspirational follower, possibly a tantric consort (phyag rgya ma), of three of the outstanding religious tantric masters of the era. She was also recognised as a master in her own right and as the spiritual heir of her main teacher. She contributed to some of the most significant works of art, architecture, and engineering of her time and had seminal influence in the development of printing. Furthermore, she expressed a particular commitment toward women, promoting their education, establishing nunneries, and even creating religious dances that included roles for them. Chokyi Dronma died at the age of thirty-three, leaving a tangible mark on history not only through her own deeds but even more through what happened after her death: her disciples searched for the girl in whom she had reincarnated and thus initiated a line of female incarnations that became the first and most famous in Tibet."

Chokyi Dronma was a leading figure in the Tibetan Bodongpa tradition which gradually waned under Gelugpa rule, but is being gradually restored today. She died at the Manmogang Monastery in Tsari to the southeast of Dakpo, near the Indian border, in 1455. Diemberger also says that [..... "the Venerable Lady passed away into the dakinis' heaven (khecara), her true home. She left her skull with special features as the wish-fulfilling gem of the great meditation center of Tsagong. The great siddha [Thangtong Gyalpo] had said earlier, 'A skull with special features will come to this sacred place, together with a mountain dweller from Ngari', and thus the prophecy had come true, greatly enhancing the devotion of the Kongpo people."]

According to Diemberger the second Dorje Phagmo was Kunga Sangmo (wylie: Kun dga' bzang mo) (1459–1502).

The ninth Dorje Phagmo -Choying Dechen Tshomo- , for example, became a renowned spiritual master not only for Samding but also for the Nyingma tradition, discovered some terma and died at Samye. Her skull is still preserved and worshipped as a holy relic in the Nyingmapa monastery on the island of Yumbudo in Yamdrok Tso Lake.

In premodern Tibet, the successive incarnations of Dorje Pakmo were treated with royal privilege and, along with the Dalai and Panchen Lamas, (and when they were in Tibet, the Chinese Ambans)[25] were permitted to travel by palanquin or sedan chair. Unlike most other nuns, Dorje Pakmo was allowed to wear her hair long, but was never to sleep lying down - in the day she could sleep sitting up in a chair, but was expected at night to remain in a meditative position.

The 12th Samding Dorje Pakmo Trülku is Dorje Pakmo Dêqên Qoizhoin Rinpoche, who was born in 1942.

Names

Diemberger writes: "Three names in particular frame her identity according to a classical Tibetan threefold model: as a royal princess she was called Queen of the Jewel (Konchog Gyalmo), her 'outer' name; when she took her vows she became known as Lamp of the Doctrine (Chokyi Dronma), her 'inner' name; as a divine incarnation she was called Thunderbolt Female Pig (Dorje Phagmo), her 'secret' name." The wylie transliteration is given by Diemberger as Chos kyi sgron me.

Also: "The princess's three main names seem to refer to three distinct modes of manifesting herself in different contexts: Konchog Gyalmo (Queen of the Jewel), her birth name; Chokyi Dronma (Lamp of the Dharma), the name she was given when she was ordained as a novice; and Dorje Phagmo (Vajravarahi), the name attributed to her when she was revealed as an emanation of this deity.

In an introductory letter, written by Thangtong Gyalpo before she departed from Northern Lato in 1454, he presented her like following: "Now there is a lady who stems from the royal lineage of the Gods of Clear Light ('Od gsal lha) who is devoted to spiritual liberation and to the benefit of all living beings. Her outer name is Lady Queen of the Jewel (bDag mo dKon mchog rgyal mo); her inner name is Female Teacher Lamp of the Doctrine (sLob dpon ma Chos kyi sgron ma); her secret name is Vajravarahi (rDo rje phag mo). Her residence is undefined."

Places

According to TBRC his Seat was yar 'brog bsam sdings, a monastery connected to the tradition of the bo dong pa. IT says: "the incarnates of this monastery were the bsam sdings rdo rje phag mo and the reembodiment of ras chen dpal 'byor bzang po gu bkra'i chos 'byung."

Teachings related to Dorje Phagmo

Vajravarahi mandala
Jomo Menmo Pema Tsokyi (Jom-mo sMan-mo Padma mTsho-sKyid) was born in the Earth Male monkey year (1248 CE) and passed into the sky-dimension in 1283 CE. Yeshé Tsogyel is reported to have said about her: "An activity emanation of my speech will appear in Tsang and she will be known as Jomo Menmo." She was born in the magical vicinity of the cave in which both Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyel once stayed. The place was called Zarmolung which was located in an area of Tibet called E-yul, which means 'primordial-awareness country'. One day Jomo Menmo found herself standing in front of the entrance to a secret cave in the mountain side. She entered the cave immediately and with a sense of keen enthusiasm. Once inside the cave a Vision unfolded in which Yeshe Tsogyel manifested in a phantasmagorical variety of guises. These Visions melted into each other until they coalesced into the form of Yeshe Tsogyel as Dorje Phagmo. Dorje Phagmo is the ecstatically fierce Dakini, whose head is surmounted by the head of a sow whose screech shatters illusion. The sound of the screech obliterates all concepts and sharply confides the direct meaning or ro-chig—the one taste of Emptiness and Form. At the moment in which she apprehended Yeshe Tsogyel as Dorje Phagmo, a complete body of teaching was revealed to her. She understood its meaning in the instant of its appearance. This teaching named itself as 'The Gathered Secrets of Sky dancers'. She realized this teaching was something that she should practice in complete secrecy until its results were obtained. She knew immediately that there would be no obstacle to her fulfilment of these practices. With the arising of this knowledge the Vision of Dorje Phagmo dissolved into Cho-nyi (Chos-nyid—Dharmata, the Space of reality). According to the information given by The Website of the Dharma Fellowship of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa Jomo Menmo was born as a karmic emanation of Yeshe Tsogyal.

The lifestory of A-YU KHA'DRO (Tsewang Dorje Paldron 1839-1953) refers to the teachings of Khadro Sangwa Kundu, declared to be a gongter of Jamyang Khentse Wangpo and in fn6 explained to be the teaching given to Jomo Memo (1248–83) by Dorje Phagmo in the cave of Padma Sambhava. (See Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet, p. 119, and biography of Jomo Memo, pp. 291–4.) This text was lost and it was not until the nineteenth century that Jamyang Khentse Wongpo discovered it as a gongter, that the teaching was available again. The text is referred to from here on in its abbreviated form, Khadro Sangdu (mKha' 'gro gSang 'dus). It is a great series of teachings on Vajra Varahi, some say a Mother Tantra, associated with the four actions or trinlay ('phrin las): calming, enriching, overawing, and destroying.

Twelfth Samding Dorje Pakmo

The twelfth Samding Dorje Pakmo was very young at the time of the Chinese occupation, but her exact date of birth is contested, some people claiming she was born a year before the death of the previous incarnation (and therefore cannot be the true reincarnation).

However, she was recognised by the present 14th Dalai Lama as a true incarnation and served as a vice president of the Buddhist Association in 1956 while he was president, and the 10th Panchen Lama also a vice president. She went to Lhasa in 1958 and received the empowerment of Yamantaka from the Dalai Lama and the empowerment of Vajrayogini from the Dalai Lama's tutor, Trijang Rinpoche.

She was trained in the Bodongpa tradition but remains the head of the Samding Monastery while also holding the post of a high government cadre in the Tibet Autonomous Region. She has, as a result, been accused by many of "collaborating" with the Chinese.

After the 2008 Tibetan unrest and prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Xinhua, the Chinese official government news agency, said that the twelfth Samding Dorje Phagmo, who is also the vice-chairwoman of the standing committee of the Tibetan Autonomous Regional People's Congress, was quoted saying that, "The sins of the Dalai Lama and his followers seriously violate the basic teachings and precepts of Buddhism and seriously damage traditional Tibetan Buddhism's normal order and good reputation." She reportedly told Xinhua that, "Old Tibet was dark and cruel, the serfs lived worse than horses and cattle."

According to Diemberger there also is a Dorje Phagmo line in Bhutan. She writes: Currently there is a Dorje Phagmo Tulku in Bhutan who was recognized by the Sakya Lama Rikey Jatrel, considered an incarnation of Thangtong Gyalpo (1385–1464 or 1361–1485). The Dorje Phagmo is currently a member of the monastic community of the Thangtong Dewachen nunnery at Zilingkha in Thimphu, which follows the Nyingma and the Shangpa Kagyu tradition.,

Hats

The distinctive black hat of the Samding Dorje Phagmo, which can be seen in both ancient and modern mural paintings and in photographs of the later reincarnations, is very similar to that of the Karmapa and is linked to the dakinis and Khandro Yeshe Tshogyal in particular.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 12:08:09 AM by Big Uncle »